Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover
by Earth Star
Summary: Bunny becomes concern that Jack has never received a proper education.


Disclaimer: I don't own this franchise or any of these characters, and I don't want to many any profit from writing this.

**Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover**

A cold breeze came across the warren and causing Bunny to flick his ears. He finished patting the soil over the seeds and glanced back. "What took you so long, Frostbite?"

Jack leaned against his staff. "Hey, I got here didn't I?" He glanced over Bunny's shoulder and pointed to the smaller sack that sat next to the open one Bunny was working out of. "Are those the seeds you wanted me to help?"

Bunny nodded and walked back to the small boulder he had placed his gardening tools. "They're dahlias to be precise." He brushed the dirt from his paws. "I'm tryin' to create a new species of them ."

"What do they do, walk on their own?" Jack asked he opened the sack of seeds.

"Hardly," Bunny replied and flipped through the pages of his notebook. "I'm hopin' to create blue dahlias."

"Blue?" Jack said slowly. "Is that all?"

"It's nothing to snuff at, people have been trying to breed one, they can use dye to create. And thus far, no one has been successful." Bunny snapped shut his notebook. "I might be close, but this is still the experimental stage and I need to try out this batch first."

"Alright." Jack reached in for a handful of seeds. "I'll just go and sprinkle these-"

"Whoa! Whoa! Wait, Jack!" Bunny held up his paw. "Don't just sprinkle them. These seeds have to be done delicately." He passed over his notebook.

Jack frowned and bit his lower lip as he flip through the pages. "I didn't realize there was a science for planting seeds."

"Botany is a whole science, mate." He tapped the page Jack was on. "Here, that's a good place to start readin'. It might be over your head but-"

"Bunny, this isn't going to help me much."

Bunny raised an eyebrow. "Sure it will. It will be easier for you to understand if you read this first-"

"No, Bunny." Jack shook his head. "I'm saying I can't read this. It's gibberish to me"

Bunny froze and turned to Jack. Did he heard, what he thought he heard? "Wait, you can't read-"

"That's what I just said."

Bunny's eyes softened as it dawned on him. Of course Jack couldn't. According to Jack, his human life had been that of a colonist and most of them wouldn't have known how to read much. Plus, while Jack had been alive for 300 years, he had been alone for all that time. Who would have taken the time to teach him? He suddenly like a heel for never thinking of it before.

"Jack, I-"

Suddenly, Jack's eyes widen. "Crud! I forgot about Jamie!"

"Jamie?"

Jack gave the notebook back to Bunny and flew up in the air. "I promised him I would help with his math homework." He look back to Bunny. "I'll be back tomorrow to help plant these! I promise!"

"Jack, wait-"

The winds came and blew Jack away before Bunny could finish his sentence. Bunny lowered his paw defeated and sat in thought. They weren't there for Jack before, but that didn't meant they couldn't be there for him now. If no one had ever taught Jack, Bunny was just going to have to do something about it.

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After spending the rest of the night pondering his options, Bunny gathered the other Guardians to meet him at North's workshop, except for Jack. He wasn't sure where Jack currently was, but Bunny preferred to discuss his suggestion with the others first before presenting it to Jack.

It didn't take long to explain to him of what had happened at the warren. Sandy and Tooth looked concerned when Bunny finished his story, although North seem perfectly calm.

"So, you think Jack can't read?" Tooth asked flapping her wings anxiously. "Are you sure?"

"Jack said so himself." Bunny folded his arms. "But it's more than that, I'm not certain Jack has ever gotten a proper education."

"You mean not just in reading," said North, stroking his beard. "But in other subjects?"

"Exactly, mate," Bunny replied as he leaned against the wall. "Reckon that maybe' now it's our job to make sure he gets it."

Sandy didn't seem convinced. Random numbers swirling around an image of Jack suddenly appeared above his head.

Tooth nodded in agreement. "Sandy's right, Bunny. Jack is really good at math." She smiled and stated proudly. "He even created new inventory system for my teeth. He is smart."

Bunny shook his head frustrated. "I'm not sayin' he's stupid, far from it, but he is just a kid compared to us and spent a lot of time on his own. " He sighed. "I'm just worried he might have missed out on a few things." He frowned. "Includin' not learnin' how to read."

North gave a small nod. "Bunny, I admit the same fear cross my mind also."

"Good," said Bunny relieved. Now they could get to work. "So, we should-"

"But," North cut him off as he wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led him down the hall. "I need to show you something first."

Tooth and Sandy followed as North took Bunny down the hall and around the next corner. They stopped at the pair of large doors, Bunny instantly recognized it as North's library. It was a fair size library, not as big as Bunny's, but it was good size one. North then released Bunny from his grip and flung open the doors.

In the middle of the room stood a large, frost covered chair, with a pile of books next to it. A familiar looking staff was also placed next to it. Bunny scratched his head. "North, why do you have Jack's staff-"

A sudden white blur flew by them and up to the top shelf. Bunny stared in awe and the white blur came into view. "What the? Jack?"

Jack turned as he pulled out two more books from the shelf. "Oh, hey guys." Jack flew downward and landed directly into the seat of the chair. "North, turns out you did have a copy of _The Tempest_."

North chuckled and winked to the others like he was letting them in on a private joke. "Oh, I did?"

"Yeah, I still can't believe you've never read it."

Bunny stared with his jaw dropped. "_The Tempest_?"

Jack nodded as he placed one of his books in the pile next to him. "I know, Bunny. How can you not read it?" He opened his book. "Granted, doesn't beat _Treasure Island_. That is still my favorite."

Bunny rubbed his head. His brain was having a hard time processing this. "I'm very confused."

Jack glanced up puzzled. "Wait? What's wrong?"

"Bunny is concerned that you don't know how to read," North explained flatly.

Jack burst out laughing. "Geez, first North, now you too?" He continued to chuckled and flipped a page from his book. "You guys keep worrying over the strangest things."

North chuckled, equally amused as Jack. And Bunny looked to Tooth and Sandy who also seemed confused. "Like Bunny," He went to the small desk in the corner and picked up a large blue print that had been draped over it. "I was worried Jack never got education, but he quickly proved me wrong."

Bunny took the plans from North and carefully examined. "By making detail plans on how I could improve sleigh." North continued as he pointed to the equations made on the side. "Jack is much smarter than we think," North said warmly and proud, like a grandfather bragging about his bright grandson.

"Hold on," said Bunny as he hopped over to Jack. "Humor me because I need to see it." He looked at the pile of books and selected the one at the bottom which caused it to fall over.

"I'm not cleaning that up," Jack stated dryly.

"Fine," Bunny growled as he opened to the first page. "Just read this sentence aloud."

Jack cleared his throat and sat sideways in the seat with his feet hanging over the chair arm. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolish-

"Alright! Alright! I believe you!" Bunny cried as he took back the book. "So, you've always known how to read?"

Jack shrugged. "Not originally, but I learned."

"Who taught you?" Tooth asked curiously and flew to the other side of the chair.

"I went to school."

"School?"

"With the kids," Jack said with a grin. "Got curious why they kept going there."

"And learned along with them," North added.

Jack sat up and ran a hand through his hair. "Although, I will admit I've been sneaking into college classes the last few of years, especially for world history and science."

Bunny stared baffled, but then frowned in annoyance. "Then why on bloodly earth couldn't you read my notes yesterday?"

Jack tapped his fingers against his staff. "Bunny, I meant as in I can't read your hand writing." He pretend to have a pencil in his hand and wrote in the air. "It looks like hen scratches."

Bunny opened his mouth and then paused. "Wait, you're jokin'? Right?"

"Actually," said Tooth as she flew in front of Bunny. "I would have to agree with Jack." She stared at the floor sheepishly. "I've never been able to read it either, but didn't have the heart to tell you."

Sandy had an arrow point to himself and he nodded in agreement.

Bunny was silent and ran his paw over his ears. "I feel like an idiot."

Jack laughed grinned and patted his shoulder. "Sure, but you're one that meant well."

Bunny sighed. It served him right for just jumping to conclusions. He could honestly say Jack taught him something. He glanced to the book in Jack's hand. "So, you're readin' _The Tempest_?"

Jack shook his head. "I will later, but I'd thought I read up on botany." He smiled mischievously. "For helping with the seed planting, like I promised."

Bunny chuckled and his eyes brighten. "You should have said so, I have way more books than North, especially on botany."

"Yeah?" Jack eyes sparked with excitement, but he then paused. "They're not in your hand writing as well are they?"

Bunny laughed. "No, I swear they're not." He wrapped an arm around Jack. "Maybe you and I should just start book club while we're at it."

Jack laughed, already beginning to make a list of books in his head.


End file.
